A Boy Named Rei
by Sagacious Strix
Summary: What happened to turn an innocent boy into a monster?
1. Let the Games Begin

Author's Note:

Juuzou's history is haunting. I can't begin to imagine the type of torture he underwent to transition from an innocent child into the investigator we all know and love. His history is still a bit of a mystery and though chapter 122 explored the basics, I personally want to know, in detail, what happened to change him into the person he is. And so I took it upon myself to try to explain the events that acted as a catalyst for his transformation. I have no idea where this will go or if it will even succeed but I promise that I will try to provide a strong companion to what is already known about his past. Please feel free to leave feedback, for this story in particular, I have a feeling I'll need it. Thanks for reading!

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"Hush Rei," whispers his mother urgently. Rei notices she's shaking but nods his head in acknowledgment. Odd noises can be heard from the other side of the closet door.

_Crack. Snap._ _Slurp. _

Rei can only wonder what they are from his hiding place. Curiosity getting the best of him, he huddles a little closer to the door to peek out one of the horizontal slots that make up the front panel of wood.

In the celestial light provided by the moon he can just make out dark shadows moving unhurriedly around a hidden figure on the ground. The glare from an oncoming car through the blinds of a window illuminates the room further, allowing Rei to see clearly.

_Daddy_? But no that's not right, Daddy's head would never bend that far. Daddy was strong and put together, his stuffing would never come out like slimy shoestrings. And Rei knew for a fact that he would never allow so much red paint to ruin his white shirt.

"Hey, do you smell that?" Asks one of the figures to the other, his tiger mask eyes glimmering as he looks in Rei's direction.

Rei lurches back from the slits, trying to escape as best he can into the folds of his mother's night gown. It just doesn't make sense, where is daddy? Why hasn't he stopped these guys yet?

_Sniff. Sniff. _Rei is reminded of a dog snuffling as he hears the sharp inhalations from the tiger guy on the other side of the door.

"I think we missed a morsel," says the man.

The other shadow sighs in exasperation and comes closer. In a bored voice he replies, "I think you're right. Smells like it might even be good enough for the Madam."

Tiger man chuckles. "Come out, come out little rabbits. Mama's gotta make some dinner and you're on the menu." He flings open the door, causing it to splinter across the room.

Rei's mother quickly stands in front of her child defensively. "Don't hurt him," she begs.

"Sorry, ma'am can't make any such promises." Tiger mask reaches inside the close confines of the closet to reach her. She swipes at him with a knife clasped tightly in her white-knuckled fist.

"Shit," yelps the man in the surprise. "You're going to pay for that you bitch."

The other figure, wearing a clown mask, grabs the other's arm, "You wouldn't want to damage the merchandise. Remember what happened to the last guy who disobeyed Madam?"

The aggressor gulps nervously. "Fine, but you deal with her and the kid. I'll finish up this guy." Tiger mask removes the duffle bag from his back. Opening the container, he begins to pack up dismembered portions of the figure laying on the floor into it. They squelch as he rearranges them to optimize the space.

Rei's mother points the knife, now missing its tip, in the clown's direction. He tilts his head slightly. "Now ma'am I'd like for you to put the knife down. I don't want no trouble."

Rei's mother trembles, the knife wavering in her grasp. Rei feels a rain drop and holds up his exposed palm to find the source. More drip steadily down, scattering into the folds of his hand. _Oh_, he thinks, _its mama's rain_.

His mother kneels down and looks at him, smoothing down his hair. "Live," she says softly before charging out and into the room. Clown mask simply shrugs and swiftly brings up a hand in a movement almost imperceptible to Rei's eyes. His mother's attacker catches her as she falls, laying her down on the crimson floor quietly.

He comes closer and Rei squirms as far away as he can. Hitting the wall he looks up into the empty eyes of the mask. "Come here kid, I ain't got all night," complains the man holding out his hand.

Rei feels his eyes widen as he looks at the hand. There was more of that red paint. Daddy wouldn't be happy to see all that paint near his white shirts. If he gets any on them mommy will have to clean them, but she can't because she's sleeping. To stop him Rei does the only thing he can to prevent the clown from getting the clothes dirty. He shuffles closer to the extremity on his hands and knees. He looks up at the masked man once more before clamping down hard on the hand with his teeth.

"Son of a bitch," growls the clown. Using his other hand he clamps down tightly on Rei's trachea, effectively cutting off the boy's air supply. Rei opens his mouth to gasp. Fruitlessly, he scrabbles at the man's hand, trying to pry his fingers off. His vision slowly grows cloudy, his struggles becoming weaker as his oxygen deprived brain finally decides to give up. But no, it couldn't be. Rei is a good boy and would never disobey his mama. With a twist of his body he kicks the man, who relaxes his grip just enough for Rei to collect on ounce of air.

The man merely laughs as Rei continues to flail in his grasp. "A tough guy eh? I think the Madam will have fun with you." Finally losing interest in the child he stuffs Rei into a bag, kicking it a few times for good measure. "Yes, I should think she'll enjoy herself thoroughly with you."

Rei punches the bag a few more times before realizing that there's nothing to connect with. He stops and listens carefully to what is happening outside the course material of the sack.

"Let's go, the Madam doesn't like to be kept waiting." Rei feels himself being lifted, his back resting against a contoured surface.

"Fine, fine." With a sickening sound like a paint roller being rolled in a tray he hears the tiger man curse under his breath. A wiping sound can be heard to the right of Rei. "Man oh man, I wish humans weren't so full of this shit."

"Can't be helped, what do you think makes them so delicious?"

"Hahaha, you got that right. Hey, did you hear about the one where the Dove walks into a bar of ghouls?"

The two continue with their conversation, eventually boring Rei to sleep. _This is a new game_, he thinks before succumbing to unconsciousness, _I wonder how it will end_. _Maybe mama and daddy will want to play too_.


	2. Time Enough for Toys

Here's the second chapter of Rei's story, I hope it's not too disturbing or unrealistic as this is my first time writing anything in this genre. Thanks for reading!

TW: There will be explicit imagery in this chapter of torture.

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"Oi Madam, we're back," shouts a man, effectively waking Rei up from his nap.

Light streams through the material of the sack, confusing Rei momentarily in his disoriented state. _Where am I_? He's used to waking up in his bed with warm blankets and his favorite toys, not in an itchy and cramped bag on a hard surface. As Rei struggles to free himself he feels the ground shift beneath his body. _An earthquake_?

The ground stops shaking as the epicenter of the quake halts. Rei finally finds the hole in the top of the bag, tumbling out onto a marble floor, scraping his hand in the process. Looking up he finds the strangest women he's seen in the entire seven years of his life.

Her red hair is coiffed in shiny curls while glitter sprouts from the bangles on her wrists, to the dangling chandeliers in her earlobes and the pearls around her neck. The rolls of her neck continue fluctuating in ripples as she breathes sporadically from her trip down the grand staircase centered in the elaborate hall. She stares at Rei, or at least that's how it seemed, as Rei couldn't see through the dark lenses of her glasses. Leaning closer she deeply breathes in Rei's scent, gasping in surprise. Rei can see glints of silver brackets among her porcelain teeth as she opens her mouth.

"You smell so sweet my darling," she exclaims breathily, crouching in front of him. "What's your name?"

Rei struggles to find his voice before he can answer her. "R-Rei."

"Oh Rei-chan, I should think you'll make a grand addition to my collection. You cut yourself, did you?" She caresses his hand in her pudgy fingers, dabbing the tips of her digits into his cut and causing him to groan in pain. Sniffing her fingers as one would a fine wine, she inserts them into her mouth removing all traces of red. She nearly purrs in appreciation. "My little Rei, indeed." Leaning back, she finally addresses the tiger and clown masked men. "What else did you bring?"

"Well we found this guy, mid-thirties, might be a bit cold now but I suspect he'll taste alright regardless. His wife was quite the catch though," he shrugs, jostling the women hanging around his shoulder. Big Madam approaches the man, pulling up the women's face by her hair.

"Oh yes, I do believe she'll fetch us a decent price. Put her with the others."

"What do we do with this?" Tiger man asks, gesturing to his duffel.

"Take it up to my chambers, I have to get Rei here nice and settled before I can bear the thought of food. A good mother takes care of her pets before herself," she grabs Rei's arm to lead him away but he resists.

"What are you gonna do to mama?"

_Smack._

Rei can't remember how the ceiling appeared so close, nor can he remember how the sharp sting of pain appeared on his cheek. Gingerly reaching up to touch his face he can feel the imprint of a hand, causing him to wince. When the hand matching the welt appears in his field of view, he avoids it, choosing to stand on his own.

"For now on Rei I'll be your new mama. That women," she points a plump finger in the direction of Rei's maternal figure, now being carried away from view, "is no longer your mother. Now be a good boy and follow me to your room." She once again proffers a hand for him to take.

"No!" shouts Rei, slapping the hand away. He runs in the direction his mother was taken. He'll free her and they'll go away together. Far away from that women.

"Oh no, seems like this one needs to be broken in," exclaims Big Madam, her voice echoing through the empty chamber. "Send this one to the playroom. I don't usually treat with my pets so soon but it seems that I'll have to make an exception for this little dear." As she speaks a man in a fine suit appears to stop Rei in his tracks. Rei looks around Madam's henchman to see his mother quickly disappearing around the corner. Trying to dodge the man, he once again finds the world inverted as he is hung upside down over the man's back. Kicking and punching the man has no effect as they move down the opposite hallway from where Rei's mother was taken.

Growing tired Rei stops his struggling. Instead he observes where they are, noting the turns and twists of the convoluted passageway. Eventually he gives up, the lefts and rights getting mixed up as they continue traveling further into the depths of the house.

Reaching a door with a large brass handle, the man carrying Rei reaches for the key strung around his neck. Bending over to insert the key in the hole he turns it, causing a soft click to emit from the lock as the door is swung open.

Getting a good glimpse of the room, Rei can feel his eyes widen. There are no toys in this playroom, or at least not in the typical sense of the word. The colorful walls are accentuated with displays cases, but instead of being filled with delicate ceramics or collectable spoons, they glint with the reflected light of blades with brightly decorated handles. Hooks decorate the walls in shades ranging from tarnished copper to deadly obsidian. Nylon ropes with their obtrusive polka dots are wrapped in coils, hanging on the walls or slithering along the floor in lengthy cables. Cubby holes filled with a variety of instruments are pushed along the outskirts of the room. The air reeks of cooper and disinfectant.

Rei has more time to observe as all his clothes are removed, excluding he underwear and he is forced to sit in a chair with his hands bound in handcuffs and his feet tied to the front legs of the chair. The chair itself has rust colored stains that interfere with the walnut finish, causing Rei to gulp in apprehension. The man who brought him to the monstrosity of a room leaves with a soft click of the door and a clang as the tumblers in the lock are set once more. With hands cuffed behind his back he has no hope of escape. It's hopeless, he's been caught. He'll never save his mother now.

He waits in silence with nothing but the ticking of a clock to keep him company. Searching for source of the noise he finds a garish cat, its tail moving back and forth with every movement of the second hand. The eyes replicate the action, looking from left to right as if expecting something exciting to happen. To and fro, it moves in a predictable pattern, memorizing the young boy.

Rei startles when the door is unlocked, admitting the women known as Big Madam. Her metal encrusted grin greets him, causing him to shrink back in his chair. "Oh no Rei-chan, that won't do, you should greet your mama with a smile."

Rei watches her, lips frozen in place. He refused to smile for this women who claimed to be his new mother. His real mother is somewhere else in this place. He realized long ago that this was no longer a game and that this women was potentially as crazy as she looked.

"Well then I'll get you smiling by the time were done here, how about that?" She shuffles about the room inspecting the various devices she keeps scattered along the circumference. Grabbing a row of hooks, she places them on wheeled cart adding some rope before rolling it over to where Rei sits perched on his chair. "Now Rei, today you've earned bad boy points which means you need to be punished. Good boys should be nice to their mothers and you've been naughty. It brings tears to my eyes to believe you would try to escape."

She proceeds to tie Rei more thoroughly down to the chair by wrapping the nylon cord around his torso. Big Madam picks up a hook, the end split into serrated curves. _It looks like a fishhook_, Rei thinks, _a really big fishhook for a really big fish_. "Do you want to play a game Rei? I call this one fish in a barrel, do you want to know why?" Before she can finish explaining she spears the flesh between Rei's shoulder and neck. Rei screams as the metallic hook is pushed all the way through, nestling in the tender skin. Rei stares at the hook in shock, surprised to see his own blood coating both ends.

"You'll be the fish and I'm the fisherman. I've captured you and," she implants another into his opposite shoulder, "now I get to do what I want. You're so cute tied down my little fish." She punctuates the word fish with another hook, this time through the top of Rei's thigh.

"Doesn't that just make you want to laugh," questions Madam as she grins at her newest pet. Rei struggles against the ropes that hold him down as tears stream down his face and ragged noises escape his throat. He screams in pain and frustration as Madam takes larger hooks, forcing them through the back of his calves.

"Now, to end this game all you have to do is smile and apologize to your poor mama. I was heartbroken that you would try to call that other _women_ your mother." Rei trembles as she introduces a smaller hook in between the web of his big toe.

"I'm sorry mama," he shouts through the pain, a grimace appearing on his tear stained face.

"Oh my dear, I don't think that was sincere. Look at your mother when you talk to her," she replies, sending ripples of agony through his foot as she introduces new piercings between his other toes.

Rei, finally finding the courage to looks up into the covered eyes of his torturer whispers, "I'm sorry mama," with a small upturn of his lips.

"That's better my pet. Now that's see, how do we remove these, hmm," she tilts her head as she pretends to think of a solution. "Ah I know," she snaps her fingers, "back the way from which they came!"

_Oh no, she can't. I'll die. I'll die, I'll die, I'll die. _The ticking of the clock enunciates every exclamation Rei makes. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. _But mama told me to live live live_. _To live Rei. But she's not my mama. Who's my mother_? _I don't know, know, know, know. _Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

_Squelch. _Rei shrieks, throat hoarse from his prolonged screaming. His vision blurs as his flesh is torn apart by the barbs. A large hole is left from the hook in his shoulder. Blood spills from the ragged edges and down his bare chest.

Two. _Mama, mama save me._

Three. _Someone, please._

Four_. I can't. _

Five. _I'll die._

Six. _No more, please._

A few more and it's over. Rei is left nearly unconscious as the last hook is unceremoniously pulled out. Blood pools around the entrances and exits of the areas that had previously had hooks embedded in them, increasing their flow with every small movement as Rei gasped in shallow breaths. He barely has energy left to groan as the man in the suit comes back for him. Undoing the knots of the rope and the lock of the cuffs he hoists the boy over his shoulder, leaving him to limply dangle as they move further into the mansion and traverse deeper into the dark depths of the basement.

Rei feverously shivers as the holes in his body are introduced to the dank air of the underground cellar. Stopping before an empty cell, the man undoes the lock and leaves Rei on a bare cot pressed against the wall with a thin blanket on top. Huddling against the corner of the cell where the bed nestles against it, he pulls the blanket over his shoulder. Too exhausted to explore his cell he falls into a fitful sleep where his dreams are filled with beetle eyes that watch and mock him as he tries to follow his mother down a frigid passageway. His mother disappears further and further away as he struggles to move. Looking down he can see that hooks have embedded themselves in his legs with ropes anchoring him in place. He can't move. _Live_ echoes through his head as he gasps into awareness.

A man with bloody gauze in one hand jumps as Rei jerks away from him. They stare at each other in cautious curiosity.

"What are you doing?" asks Rei, wincing as his throat crackles.

"Just cleaning you up a bit. Looks like you took quite the damage here young man," he responds, adding some offensive antiseptic to a strip of gauze that tingles as he applies it to the wound in Rei's left shoulder.

"What's your name?"

"You may call me Dr. Kanou. I'm here to take care of you."


	3. Conversation with a Rat

Wow, two months since the last chapter, I can't believe it's been so long! Thank you to all who have read it so far, I hope you enjoy the newest addition! (Also particularly to StolenBook, I'm sorry it took so long to post this chapter, I hope the anticipation was worth it.)

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The doctor stays with Rei for a few minutes more to place bandages over his wounds before leaving. With the promise to return, he leaves with an attendant closing the door to Rei's cell behind him. Rei's eyes follow his movements as he disappears down the gloomy hallway towards a heavily barred door. With a final resounding clang the stone hall is filled with a hesitant silence.

Rei, finally active enough to survey his surroundings, cringes. On the floor are two bowls, one with the moldy crust of a piece of bread and the other filled with yellowed water. In the corner is a large pail, the odor of which indicates its intended use to the boy. Rei wraps his arms around his body, shivering. Tears fill his eyes as he calls for his mother and father, voice rebounding off the cavernous walls to create a distorted symphony.

"Mama…. Mama… Have I been good yet? Do I get a reward? Haaavvvveee I beeeeeennn gooooodddd?"

Rei can hear the manic muttering from further down the room, indicating that he is not as alone as he once assumed. A thumping shortly follows until the room quiets down once more with quiet shuffles and clangs coming every now and then.

Rei looks around fearfully for the source of the noise, his tears halting in their tracks down his face. The mutilated voice resounds in his head until he squeezes his eyes shut praying for a god to come and rescue him from this hell hole.

"Hello?" asks a cautious voice from a nearby cell. "Is someone there?"

The muttering starts up again but Rei can distinguish the new voice from the disgruntled sounds originating from further down the hall. "Y-yes?" replies Rei hesitantly, approaching the bars of his cell to peer into the surrounding darkness.

A head appears on the opposite side of the hall, diagonal to his own cage. Grubby hands grip the steel bars and a gaunt face with large eyes looms out of the dark to stare at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Rei, who are you?"

"I can't remember? Do you know who I am?" Rei shakes his head in sympathy. "Oh, okay then," the boy starts to move back, causing Rei to panic.

"Wait a moment, I think I remember," searching for inspiration to prevent the boy from going back into the recesses of his cell, he spies a long hairless tail disappearing down the hall. Rei blurts out "Nezumi, I think your name is Nezumi."

"Nezumi… Nezzzzuuuummiiii, yes that sounds right, thank you," replies the boy reveling in the sound of his newly assigned name. He smiles, revealing slightly enlarged front teeth, giving the name more meaning then was initially intended.

"You're welcome. How long have you been here?" questions Rei, not wanting the strange new boy to go away.

"Who knows? A week, a month? Hahaha. Too loooonnggg," Nezumi sings, causing the noises down the hall to increase. "Oops, looks like the scrappers are awake, Mama won't be happy about that. They need to sleep." As he finishes speaking the door at the end bursts open, revealing a tuxedoed man with a long prod.

"Who started this?" he shouts. The moaning increases as he makes his way further down the hall, running his large prod over the bars of the cells, occasionally stabbing the occupants residing within with his pole. Nezumi places a finger to his lips and backs away, silently blending into the background. Rei quickly scrambles away from the door to follow Nezumi's lead a moment too late. Hearing the scuffle, the man stops in front of the barred gate.

"Looks like it's the newbie," he says as he bends his head closer to the door, his golden grille exposed as he parts his lips to smile. He sticks the prod through the gate, forcing Rei's head up to meet his eyes. "We're going to have fun here. Too bad the Madam has special plans for you later. But you do smell sweet, maybe she wouldn't mind if I just had a little nibble," he exclaims as he chomps his teeth loudly near the bars. Rei quickly scrambles away as fast as he can to escape the sharp, glittery teeth of the man.

"Hahaha, I'll see you soon little mite. In the meantime be quiet or I won't be able to resist myself next time." Pompously walking away with a swagger he retreats the way he came, locking the heavy door behind him once more.

"Wow that was a close one," says Nezumi as he reappears as suddenly as he left. He grins at Rei, smile dropping as he sees the boy's expression more clearly. "Oh come on, he didn't scare you did he? All the guards do things like that but they never do anything about it. Well, almost never. Mama wouldn't allow them to do anything serious to us. If it helps, I'm sorry, okay?"

"Okay," replies Rei, reluctant to hold a grudge after such a small scare. _Nezumi wouldn't lie about something like that_, Rei thinks to himself. _I'm sure he's been here longer then I have_. Feeling better he returns Nezumi's smile with a small one of his own.

"Alright then, glad to hear it buddy. How'd you wind up in here anyway?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," Rei shudders slightly trying to forget the night before. "Do you know why we're here?"

"The way I see it there are three ways out and this is just a storage place for us until we're needed. The first is when Mama needs you and then you usually come back a whole lot worse than when you started. The other is when you get sent to the auction. I don't know myself what goes on there but plenty are sent who don't return."

"What's the last one?"

"Let's just say you take a long sleep and never actually wake up."

"Oh," mumbles Rei.

"But hey don't worry, if you're lucky you'll get a nice cushy house with one of these crazy ghouls. They'll take care of you like a pet, you might have a collar but it's not the worse life, not like being a scrapper."

"What's a scrapper," asks Rei with a sense of dread.

"Did you hear those guys from before, the ones screaming for their mother? Those are scrappers. They're all crazy, the lot of them. I wouldn't wish even my worse enemies in a cage with them."

"I guess so," replies Rei with a troubled expression.

"Well, anyway I'm gonna get some shut eye, all this talking is wearing me down." Nezumi doesn't wait for Rei to reply as he slinks away onto his bed. It seemed to Rei that in a matter of seconds the boy was sleeping, his soft sighs echoing about the hallway.

Glancing dimly at the food and water left to him, he ignores it and his grumbling stomach, curling up against the wall for a slight bit of warmth. Eventually exhaustion takes over and his breathing slows until he falls into a semblance of peace.

After what seems like mere moments he shifts in his sleep as a constant drip sounds through the stone cavern, intruding upon his unconsciousness.

_Drip… drip…drip_

"Rei, my son, where did you go?"

"Mama?" questions Rei as he looks around, searching desperately for his maternal figure. He holds his hands up, feeling water. _It's mama's rain, but why is she crying? _Panicking he starts to run, stumbling as his footing is lost on the uneven ground. He trips and falls over something cold and stiff. Bracing himself on scraped hands he turns around.

Rei screams as he studies what he tumbled over. His mother's rotting body faces him, her face a distorted mess of darkened puce and mauve tissues. A blacked tongue lolls out of a dry mouth while maggots inch out of the corners of her eyes. In a matter of minutes her flesh slowly disintegrates, skull caving in while brain fluid leaks out of moth eaten ears. Rei crawls away as her hand reaches for him, her damaged mouth opening, voice croaking out "Rei, where are you?" as her frail body struggles against the decay to reach him.

Rei can only watch in terror as she finally slumps, body lying motionless as she disappears in a cloud of ash. He jerks back and hits something solid. Looking up he discovers familiar beetle-like eyes looking down at him.

"Why Rei-chan, she is not your mother. Here let me show you a mother's love." Like a snake striking, she descends on him with a serrated knife. Rei feels the slice from the weapon split the skin of his palm as he raises his hands to defend himself. The pain blossoms through his digits as blood runs in red rivers across the torn skin.

With a gasp he wakes, scuffing his back against the stone wall he's pressed against. "Mama, daddy, where are you?" cries Rei, clinging to his blanket for security.

The sounds of the scrappers waking can be discerned as chains and bars are shaken by the occupants of the underground facility. The word "Mama" reverberates off the walls of several of the cells as Rei's wails of distress rile up Big Madam's pets.

Rei stops after he hears the effects of his calls on the other prisoners. He can see the hulking shapes form in front of their cages as they move from within their confines searching for their next victims. He looks across the hall to meet Nezumi's haunted gaze.

"You shouldn't have done that Rei," he says as his gaze sweeps down the hall and towards the door being unlocked at the end of the passageway. The man who harassed Rei from before barges through.

"Quiet up you lot of vermin, quit your moaning. There isn't work for you yet. Pipe down and wait, your time will come," he shouts having the opposite effect on the scrappers than he initially intended. Instead of quieting down the noises grew louder. The calls for their maternal figure becomes more crazed as they shake the bars of their cells, causing the cuffs of their feet and hands to cling and clash. The metal striking metal is deafening as the sounds bounce off the walls.

Rei presses his hands against his ears to suppress the commotion. He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping for it to end. A loud shudder shakes the hall as one of the cells bursts open. The strangled sounds of the guard can be heard accompanied by a wet noise when one of his arms lands in front of Rei's cage. The boy shouts in shock as blood began to seep the door, soaking into the thin layer of hay on the floor.

A psychotic giggling starts as the guard goes through his final death throes. It comes closer to Rei until the earth shaking steps stop in front of his cage.

"What's this? A bbbooooyyyy? Mama, should I kill it? Yesssss, then _I'll_ be a goooddd booyyy." His massive fists with sausage link fingers fold around the bars and he groans from strain, the bolts shifting in their place. With a final tug the door bends on its hinges and the scrapper claims the boy for his own. He holds Rei's thin neck in a vice like grip, throttling the boy as he does so until Rei starts to see black.

Heavier steps start towards them. A slight slithering comes from the direction until a red appendage bursts through the scrapper. He loosens his grip and Rei falls to the ground, spluttering as he regains his breath. Blood sprays across his face as the kagune is removed from the scrapper, revealing a pair of crazed kakugan eyes in the scrapper's stead as it falls at Big Madam's feet. She licks flecks of blood off her lips as she looks at the boy.

"Oh no Rei, look what you made me do," she says in a high falsetto. "Do you know what this means?"

Rei quickly shakes his head, not wanting to upset her any further. He still has the bandages from the last time he had inadvertently insulted the women.

She puckers her lips in slight disappointment at his silence. "Well, since Diego here is out of commission you'll be replacing him." She steps over the large form of the recently deceased scrapper, leaning down to pick him up before placing him in a nearby cell. "Sleep tight Rei-chan, I'll be back for you soon." She walks away after closing the lock on his new cell, her kagune disappearing back into the holes of her clothes as she approaches the door. Her red eyes haunt Rei as he crouches in a corner, too stunned to move.

It's a long time before she comes back to collect the boy. He watches with blood shot eyes as she unlocks the door, beckoning for him to come with a bent finger. With a sense of resolve he does as she asks and is marched down the hall, glancing back to meet Nezumi's eyes, with a solemn nod he gives Rei the strength he needs to get through whatever the next couple hours will bring.


	4. Good Boys Play with Knives

Welcome back! This is a bit later then I expected but I hope the extra time I took made it better in the end. Thank you for all the follows, favorites and comments!

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Rei trudges down the hall beside Big Madam, every step he takes leading him closer to more torment. His neck still throbs in pain from his bout of strangulation at the hands of one of the women's pets. With each footfall he jostles the wounds from the hook insertions, causing several of the large scabs to crack and bleed. Though he yearns to give into his pain, to curl into a ball of despair and wish it all away, he won't. He still needs to rescue his mother… somehow. To do that he has to be brave, braver then he has ever been before. And so he walks, refusing to wince or let out a small complaint while his many wounds open and bleed anew.

After several minutes of following the embodiment of sadism, the duo arrive at a large walnut door, split in two panels and embellished with large brass handles to permit entry into the room beyond. Big Madam signals for her newest pet to open the door, watching him with sunglass covered eyes as he struggles to overcome the great weight of the thickly designed door. Slowly, and with gaining momentum, Rei finally fully opens one of the doors.

He stoically observes his surroundings, not in the least surprised that such a room exists in this house of horrors. Racks of various weapons are set in cabinets, their deadly, daunting points and well-honed blades glimmering in the bright lighting of the room. Long weapons lean against velvet inlays, tipped with long blades they send shivers down Rei's spine as he surveys their rusty red tinted edges. Various maces and clubs, many five times or more the thickness of Rei's forearm, dot the walls alongside long swords while drawers with glass tops hold an assortment of small blades, their intricate handles catching Rei's attention immediately. _How can something so beautiful be a weapon? _He thinks, slightly in awe amidst his initial and pervading sentiments of fear.

Though the cabinets take up most of the perimeter of the room, there is plenty of space in the middle of all the armaments and, as can be surmised by the odd crimson stains on the hardwood floor, the weapons had been used for their intended purposes. Mirrors standing as tall as the ceiling decorate the far side of the room and reflect his own pale face. They also serve to gratify Big Madam's girth by many centimeters, making the women seem even more monstrous in her reflection then in her real form.

"Welcome Rei-chan, to the Scapper's playroom," she exclaims as she sweeps her arms towards the rows of destructive instruments. "What do you think?"

Rei remains silent, afraid to share his true thoughts on the subject. To this lack of response, Big Madam strides forward with a frown, towards the draws containing various knives. She continues talking, though now with an evident hardness to her tone. "Today we'll be finding you the perfect weapon. While Diego specialized in a mace, I'm afraid you, my _dear_, will not live to see tomorrow if I have you fight with one."

"But I don't want to fight anyone," blurts Rei, immediately aware of the change in the atmosphere surrounding Big Madam.

"Did I ask what you wanted Rei?"

"N-no," stutters the boy, afraid of what the consequences to his ill spoken words might be.

"Rei," sighs the women, voice infused with the patience one would show a very difficult and unintelligent individual. "Your mother wants you to fight, why would you go against your mother's wishes?"

Rei is done pretending. This women is not his mother, nor is she human. This women is a beast. Even the monsters under his bed were never as terrifying to him as this _thing_ in front of him. "You are not my mother," boldly states Rei, struggling to maintain eye contact with her shielded eyes.

The women freezes, as a predator does before springing on her intended prey. "What was that? I don't think I heard you correctly," her voice is down diamond hard, striking terror into Rei's heart and quickly spreading throughout his extremities. Losing some of his previous nerve, he looks down at the floor. Mumbling, he repeats in a shallow voice, "You're not my mother."

"Oh, my poor child, you must still be confused. I am your mother and I'll prove it to you." Grabbing a knife with a jade dragon engraved on the handle she approaches the boy, leaving him to stumble backwards to escape the beetle-eyed creature in front of him. "Go away," shouts Rei, throwing his arms in front of his face to prevent what he knew was coming. He's surprised, however, when he feels the encrusted blade placed in his hand by the women.

"See what I gave you Rei? What a nice present, you should be happy to have such a giving mother." The deadly tone in her voice is now lightened an octave, just enough to give Rei back his courage.

Inspiration strikes Rei and he flicks the knife open, feeling a strange surge of power flow through his fragile and abused body. Holding the knife in front of him as he had seen his mother do in order to protect him, he stands facing the demon women. He lunges with the raised knife, feeling a sting on his cheek as he's backhanded and propelled backwards towards the wall, landing just shy of a glass cabinet.

"Now, now Rei, you're not using your present very well, and to attack your mother at that. What an ungrateful child you are," screams the ghoul, sunglasses flying from her eyes, bright red and black kakugan blazing as she strikes the boy, slicing his cheek with her sharp fingernails when she swipes at his face. He backs up just in time to avoid a serious injury, the cut stinging as he touches it gingerly.

"Defend yourself child," demands the estranged ghoul, leaping forward to attack again. Raising the short blade, Rei slashes air as Big Madam disappears from in front of him, appearing behind him in an indiscernible movement. A moment before Rei stood, now he finds himself on the floor, pinned by the sight of Madam's kagune mere centimeters from his throat. The knife flies from his hand and lands closer towards Madam. Rei's only protection against the mad women is gone. He is defenseless and at the mercy of a monster.

She glares at him, watching as he squirms under the weight of her attention. Her kagune slowly slithers up the column of Rei's neck. The boy's eyes widen as he feels the pressure it exerts on his skin increase, making it difficult to draw his next breath, but not impossible. Trying to force it away he feels his hands being restrained as the kagune splits off into two appendages, each wrapping around one of his thin wrists.

"This is a mother's mercy Rei, remember that. I hold your life in my hands. One little slip," she emphasizes the word with more pressure, causing the boy to see spots, "and you'll become my next meal. Or perhaps I'll let you become the scrapper's new toy. They always seem to be destroying theirs."

She finally releases her hold on Rei neck, allowing him to gasp as he sucks down air greedily in effort to revive his oxygen deprived organs.

Kneeling, she tenderly caresses Rei's face, holding his jaw still as he tries to flinch away from her touch. "You will learn, they all learn and the ones that don't well, they don't stick around long." Rei can only imagine what the implications of her words are, and they don't bode well for him in any of the scenarios he could think of.

"Now, while I should award you for playing with your toy, I think you've earned more bad points then good today. Such a naughty boy you are," she gasps dramatically. "Don't worry, I'll teach you to be good soon enough. But for now…" she trails off, picking up and inspecting his slim fingers one by one. "I have to teach you respect. Lesson one Rei, respect your weapon. A blade is just as capable of hurting its owner as it is another; there is no discrimination."

Picking up the weapon that lies discarded on the floor, the women holds it up to the light. The carved eye of the dragon gleams harshly as she grasps the knife by the handle, drawing a thin line of red down Rei's index finger. The pain itself is not overly agonizing, it is the expectation of the lacerations to come that sting the most and cause Rei's pain receptor's heightened sensitivity to the sensation.

The knife cleanly cuts through the flesh of Rei's digits, leaving streaking trails of red in its path. Big Madam orchestrates each slice, as professionally as a conductor to its band of musicians. In her mind this art form is beautiful, each cut a masterpiece. She strokes the knife through her canvas with ease, cleanly and with great patience as she intends to get the strongest reactions from her newest pet. In this state she finds the most peace, training and brainwashing the young and vulnerable minds of her pets is something she takes great pride in, with this case being no exception.

Rei, however, cannot see these thoughts, he cannot comprehend why this is happening any more than an ant under a magnifying glass. The sheer force of the sensations being processed by his brain leave little room for other thoughts. The cuts sting like the worst paper cuts bathed in salt water. His fingers feel hot and clammy as Big Madam mutilates them little by little, drawing lines of pain with her sculptor's tool of torment.

When at last she reaches the smallest finger of the opposite hand from which she started, she stops. Looking him in the eye, she lifts his hand up to her mouth and carefully licks the blood off, lapping up every drop of Rei's coppery plasma. The blood scares Rei. From the night of his abduction up until now he has seen more blood in the last few days then he has seen in his entire life. The crimson cascades are now familiar to him and as he looks at his blood encrusted fingers he finds that he can't conjure up a morsel of shock, but instead feels a calm acceptance. This is his life now, tides of red and ripples of agony. Though he can feel the throbbing aches of his joints and many wounds, he feels contradictorily numb.

He watches passively as Big Madam bandages his fingers, occasionally taking a sample before sealing the wounds closed. She mutters assurances to him that he doesn't bother to respond to. He can't remember the trip back to his new cell or how long he stayed awake, knowing only the echoing screams of the crazy scrappers and the jangles of chains against the stone walls. The only thing he thinks is that he has been a bad boy. In his strained and sleep deprived brain this is the only logical explanation as to why this is happening to him. He didn't deserve the mother he had and so he had been given a new one, one who would teach him to be a good boy. This is the final thought he reflects on before he falls into a dreamless sleep.


End file.
